There’s not a day that goes by that he’s not remembered. We at the sheriff’s office continue to honor and carry Luther’s memory.”

Sheriff Joe Leko

The Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution to rename the stretch of highway in memory of Deputy Luther Klug.

Hwy. 68 from Hwy. 316 east to the Dakota County line in Ravenna Township is now officially Deputy Luther Klug Memorial Highway.

Deputy Klug, who lived south of Hastings, was finishing his afternoon shift in July 1996 when he heard a Hastings Police call he thought they would need backup on. He cleared that scene and was headed home when his patrol car was struck on the driver’s side at the intersection of Hwy. 316 and 200^th St. in Hastings, pushing the patrol car into a ditch. Deputy Klug was flown to Ramsey County Medical Center where he died shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, July 16, 1996.

The 37-year-old suspect was convicted of vehicular homicide and served four years in jail. He had been in Minnesota fleeing from a drunk driving charge a year earlier in Oklahoma.

Klug served with the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office for six years, and he served in law enforcement for 15 years. He was survived by his wife, Geri, and 4-year-old son, Jordan.

More than 900 peace officers attended Klug’s memorial service at St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton Church in Hastings.

Following his father’s sense of duty, Jordan Klug is now a Dakota County Sheriff’s Office deputy. Sheriff Joe Leko joined him at the podium at the Dakota County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 24, where the Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution to rename the stretch of highway in memory of Deputy Luther Klug.

“I am honored, humbled and extremely proud to be standing in front of you here today,” said Leko. “On behalf of the sheriff’s office, the staff past and present, the family and friends of Deputy Luther Klug and the community in which he served as we request this approval to designate County Highway 68 in Ravenna Township as Luther Klug Memorial Highway.”
Leko memorialized Klug as a “small town kid” from Black Duck, MN. Klug started his career in Hawley, MN and was hired by the Cannon Falls Police Department, where he quickly rose to the rank of sergeant. In 1990, he started working for the DCSO where he worked in several capacities, including in courts, patrol, as a SWAT team leader, firearms instructor, defensive tactics instructor and as a field training officer. In 1995, he was recognized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for his high number of DWI arrests.

“In the late evening of July 15, 1996, Deputy Luther Klug was finishing his patrol shift and headed home to his house south of Hastings. On his way home, he heard Hastings Police Department dispatched to a call, and he responded to assist, as he always did. Upon clearing the call, he began his drive home in a SWAT car, and while traveling south on Hwy. 316 and County Road 68, just one mile from his home, a driver who was lost looking for a casino barreled through the stop sign,” said Leko. “His loss left a permanent hole in the lives of all those involved. And 27 years have passed. There’s not a day that goes by that he’s not remembered. We at the sheriff’s office continue to honor and carry Luther’s memory. His service and ultimate sacrifice are a solemn reminder of how dangerous and unpredictable the job can be.”

Leko said members of the sheriff’s office “adopted” Jordan.

“He grew up here as an explorer, a park ranger and eventually a deputy. We are blessed to have his son who chose to follow his father’s footsteps,” said Leko. “Jordan, like his dad, rose quickly through the ranks and is currently a sergeant with us, supervising and patrolling the very streets his father did. He’s a remarkable young man.”

Jordan Klug said he appreciates all the hours and work that went into renaming the stretch of highway after his father.

“27 years ago, life for my mother and I changed drastically and unexpectedly. Since then, our ties to Dakota County and the sheriff’s office have grown exponentially, and they became part of our family,” Jordan said. “I’d like to say thank you to all who are involved. This has great meaning to us, and we are honored to have this highway dedicated in his memory.”

District 1 Supervisor Mike Slavik of Hastings said Klug’s tragic death was felt by everyone in the community.

“This was something that rocked the Hastings community so much, as it did the sheriff’s department and all of Dakota County back in 1996. I was a senior in high school at that time, and I just remember how much that event had such an impact on my class. Sometimes when you’re seniors, you don’t make the best choices, and this was another reminder of how precious life is and how the decisions and choices we make matter so much,” said Slavik. I would say this is long overdue.”

Slavik said county officials worked with the legislature for several years trying to get a state highway memorial for Klug.

“We couldn’t quite get over that hurdle with the legislature. This is the least we can do to remember that memory and honor your father, and I’m very excited that we can get to this point. I do feel this is the right thing to do, and I’m so honored that we get to do this today,” said Slavik.